I’ve been reading your BabyNames site for a while and I really enjoy it. I have a question about the name Christian. Can it be just a name, not connected with religious views of a person who bears it or his/her relatives? I mean, is it OK if people of other religion than Christianity name their son Christian or is the meaning of the name too strong? I just wonder, not having plans of naming someone with that name.
Kitty, from Moscow, Russia
Dear Kitty,
Christian is an adjective. Here in the U.S., yes, the name is closely associated with the religion and I would guess most often used for Christian children.
Personally, I don’t recommend it for any child. It’s what I call an “expectation” name. An unspoken–well really SPOKEN–expectation is put on the child to live up to the name. Same goes with Charity, Honor, Justice, you get the point.
The names Christopher and Christina, however, have a basis from the word Christian and its faith but are not as closely tied to it. If you are open to using similar names, I would recommend those names.
Sincerely,
Jennifer
Jennifer Moss (she/her) is the founder of BabyNames.com, author of The Baby Names Workbook, and Producer of The Baby Names Podcast. Jennifer is widely regarded as the leading expert on popular baby name trends and the naming process, serving as the authoritative source on the subject for national and international media.
Jennifer entered the tech arena in the 80s as a software developer and database architect, and became a pioneer in the Internet industry. In addition to operating BabyNames.com, Jennifer owns a web development agency in central California.
